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Nothing will change until The People - urban poor and peasants, allied with urban middle class - rise up and persuade the junior military (themselves mostly poor boys & conscripts) to support them in overthrowing the whole rotten system.

Might be a long wait, though minor violence can get out of hand very quickly and with unpredictable outcomes.

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Ensuring that Thailand is ready for a progressive democracy. I think the author needs to review the definition of democracy. I thought that under the constitution, the upper house was not for election but selection by the military - am I wrong?

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The country can't seem to let go of Thaksin, and I don't just mean the Pheu Thai voting populace.

I also mean politicians of all parties (Sonthi's claim that Abhisit, by denouncing any affiliation with the junta, is a Thaksin supporter, for example) and, more than anything, the Thai press who are forever writing about Thaksin - this article is just one example.

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thailand isnt ready for anything close to that, will settle with getting the military off authoritarian rule

I agree, Democracy does not suit Thailand, it never has. Strangely perhaps, the proposed split of power after the election is not a bad compromise for this country and may just lead to longer term stability. It will not of course advance the development of the Nation, but you can't have everything here. Thailand will never be a Singapore, but we should remember that SIN is a very authoritarian and controlling regime.

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Ensuring next weekends voting leads to a progressive democracy ??? Is this some kind of a bad joke ?

Has the Nation missed the systematic undermining and dismantling of exactly that progressive democracy over the last few years???

The replacement of any fairly independent agency within the fragile democratic framework with Prayuth’s cronies, the rigging of the election before it is even held gives hope for progressive democracy?

Where was the outrage of the Thai press during the last few years when the little democracy you had was trampled upon and almost every law of this country was broken by criminals who then pardoned THEMSELVES!

And you are still talking about Thaksin? I think he is the least problem Thailand currently has to worry about!

Does the Nation not get it that Thaksin was part of exactly the same criminal clique that is running things from behind the scenes in this country until he fell out of favor?

Citing court convictions by what court?

The same kangaroo courts that got him off from his assets concealment charges on the orders of the same criminal clique behind the scenes which can make any court case go either way?

This idiotic mentioning of legal procedures whenever it is convenient and serves a purpose - proceedings that can be bent either way in this country by people “of influence” are making a mockery of the legal process and are totally meaningless!

People are sick and tired of hearing the very people who keep breaking the law constantly arguing that they act according to the law but only whenever it suits them!

What does the Nation want to tell us? That Thaksin and his cronies were corrupt ? For crying out loud tell us something we don’t know - name ONE government that is/ was not corrupt! Even Chuan Lekpai stumbled over corruption by others in his government.

Face it The Nation as long as the criminal clique that runs things from behind the scenes makes a mockery out the judiciary nothing will ever change.

A country in which some people think they are above the law because they have created laws and a climate of fear threatening and punishing people who speak out, preventing justice being served to criminals who think they own this country is doomed on the long run.

Every country has corruption and it is an independent judiciary that applies the law without favor or fear which sets countries apart and which stops the corrupt scoundrels sooner or later.

As long as this criminal clique controls, undermines, destroys and manipulates the independence of the judiciary - this country will always be what others call - a banana republic!

There is no hope for Thailand until the day the law is applied to all equally or at least tries to achieve that goal for a start - and that day is far, far away !

Hoping that this sham of an election will change anything and produces “progressive democracy” is naive and wishful thinking at best !

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It's always sad when people compare these cases. It's like comparing a mass murderer with a guy who hit someone once with a fist. Yes, they both did wrong but on a totally different scale.

Thaksin was not only super corrupt, he also didn't even try to hide it. I read the news every day when he was in power and I always thought: How can he get away with that, it's so obvious.

Thaksin was indeed corrupted and fortunately he didn't get away with it. Convicted, exiled and half his fortune confiscated. How then did the establishment, junta and their aligned politicians get away with so much corruption and blood on their hands. You make a weak and prejudice case as always.

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Thailand is not going to 'move beyond Thaksin' for a while because of one, very simple reason...

If there were genuinely Free and Fair elections here, Thaksin would win. Easily.

I know it.

You know it.

He knows it.

Prayut knows it.

The Military know it.

All the security services know it.

All the political parties know it.

All international observers of Thailand know it.

All of Thailand knows it.

All. Every last person.

The Democratic will of Thailand is not being respected, and all know it.

And, the article brings out the old canard of Thaksin being "convicted". First, it is almost certainly true that he is guilty of something; all of Thailand's leaders fall into that category. However, the article, as usual, misses the point.

If all of Thailand's political leaders are guilty of some kind of wrong-doing (and they almost certainly all are), then a 'conviction' of one while all the others get off without a proper investigation and/or proper trial renders that conviction meaningless.

When General Rolex is escorted to the 'big house', I'll happily help drag Thaksin there. Until then, spare me the nonsense that the "conviction' matters in the slightest.

It is a cheap, meaningless political talking point, nothing more.

For Thailand`s sake, let`s move beyond Prayut

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He is no more corrupt than the multitudes of rich and powerful people. At least he cared for the poor and did many positive things to make life easier for many. Lets hope someone can come on the scene with his good qualities and not just be after wealth and power,

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It's always sad when people compare these cases. It's like comparing a mass murderer with a guy who hit someone once with a fist. Yes, they both did wrong but on a totally different scale.

Thaksin was not only super corrupt, he also didn't even try to hide it. I read the news every day when he was in power and I always thought: How can he get away with that, it's so obvious.

Whilst I agree with the principle that comparing cases is a meaningless exercise, and I appreciate that you read the new every day when he was in power; I do wonder whether you have been reading the news for the last four years?

Yes, I still follow the news everyday. And there is no question that our current rulers are also not exactly clean.

And I am aware of the fact that we read in the news only part of what is going on.

All in all I still think what Thaksin did was a lot worse than what the current people in charge are doing. Part of it is probably also the fact that Thaksin just had to rub it in all the time. It was not enough that he was corrupt and it was not enough that he preferred people who voted for him. He had to tell everybody all the time that he gets away with his crimes and he was proud to work only for the Thais who voted for him.

I don't think Prayut or anybody of the current crowd is even half as bad as Thaksin.

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He is no more corrupt than the multitudes of rich and powerful people. At least he cared for the poor and did many positive things to make life easier for many. Lets hope someone can come on the scene with his good qualities and not just be after wealth and power,